


Lycomedes and Theseus

by n3s0



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Animal Death, Betrayal, Bittersweet, Dialogue Heavy, Dream Smp, Fit It, Gen, Sort Of, Suicidal Ideation, Suicidal Thoughts, Wilbur Soot and TommyInnit are Siblings, not really but they get the conversation they deserve, post doomsday war, sbi family is canon in this its but techno is just a family friend, sleepy bois inc - Freeform, techno and tommy reconcile (?)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 00:13:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28644261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/n3s0/pseuds/n3s0
Summary: In the early morning of the 7th Technoblade and Philza return to the remains of L'manberg to check for lingering supplies and bring their dogs back home. Technoblade didn't expect to find Tommy wandering the crater.orTommy and Techno are able to have the conversation they deserve, rather than the yelling contest they got in canon.
Relationships: Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 42
Kudos: 528





	Lycomedes and Theseus

**Author's Note:**

> If any of the creators in this mention that they are uncomfortable with fanfiction please let me know and this will be taken down. This is purely a work of fiction based on the characters these content creators portray on the Dream SMP, and in no way should be taken as genuine interpretations or judgments on the content creators. This is not a ship fic, do not interpret it that way.  
> Please read tags for TWs.

A few paper lanterns hung low in the open space of the crater once called L'manberg. Wood was still burning, vaguely illuminating the area, as Technoblade traversed crumbling cobblestone towards another dog he saw waiting patiently in the destruction. 

"Found another one," he hollers across the canyon to Phil, who had a small collection of dogs himself. Phil gives him a thumbs up before returning to his own search. They had come back to L'manberg to see if any of the dogs had survived and see if there were supplies they could gather- broken netherite they could melt down, unused potions, etc. They've only found 2 regeneration potions so far, but quite a few dogs were sitting around, uninjured and waiting for their owner. 

The injured ones, however...They reminded Techno of just how severe the damage was. For the few still alive and unsavable, Technoblade gave them a merciful death. He thinks of all the people in L'manberg, how they almost all had pets. Phil mentioned Ghostbur's anguished screams over the death of Friend. He could only hope Ranboo managed to get his own pets out in time. 

Part of him wondered, as he glanced around the destruction, if this was really justified. If this was justified in the name of anarchy. Or was this Technoblade's vendetta, and his alone. His anger for being used in the war against Manberg, his anger for him and Carl being kidnapped, his anger for being executed. Did this really teach the citizens of L'manberg about the problems with governments, or did it only make them hate him more. He doesn't doubt for a second that it's the latter. 

A glimpse of white fur catches his eye and pulls him from his thoughts. He spots the dog trotting over to one of the partially crumbling ledges, trotting towards a young boy sitting on that edge adorned in a torn-up red raglan t-shirt. The dog starts licking Tommy's wounds.

"That hurts, dickhead," Tommy snaps but it doesn't stop him from turning and petting the dog. In his attempt to turn and face the dog better, Techno watches as Tommy spots him in his peripheral and does nothing but turn back around. 

"I thought I taught you better than you turn your back on your enemy," Techno says with a smug aura. He spots Phil watching the conversation from afar.

"Yeah, well, you taught me a lot of shit advice," Tommy laughs bitterly. 

"Teachin' you how not to get stabbed in the back isn't what I'd call shit advice," Techno doesn't move from where he's standing behind Tommy over the crater. 

"You know a lot about stabbing people in the back huh Techno?" Tommy spits.

"I've said this a million times Tommy, my conditions were clear from the start," Techno rolls his eyes, "you chose to ignore them."

"No I chose to trust you," Tommy says flatly, "I chose to trust that you'd put our friendship, our- our _kinship_ , over your opinions on government. Then you murder Tubbo because you were 'peer pressured'?" Tommy's voice is growing in volume, "Technoblade the entire fucking server was against you blowing up L'manberg, the entire server _hates_ you, but that didn't stop you. You don't get to say you were peer pressured." Heavy silence hangs between them. "You can't stab someone and then say 'I told you I'd stab you so that makes it okay'. It doesn't work like that, Techno, I thought you were smart enough to realize that." 

For the first time since joining this server, Techno considers that Tommy might be right. The realization stings, and with that sting comes the want to defend himself, defend his ideals.

"Tommy anarchy is my way of life, more than just my opinion-" Techno starts.

"This isn't anarchy this is just you being a dick-" Tommy yells, turning around completely to face Techno.

"I let you talk," Techno growls, "now let me." He waits for Tommy to fire another rebuttal but the kid simply looks back down to his hands. "Anarchy is what kept me alive before I met Phil. Governments never looked out for hybrids, they only ever look out for those on top. As for Tubbo- you never told me what to do! You and Wilbur were messaging everybody but me on what to do at that moment, you don't get to pin that entirely on me. Yes, I fucked up, but you don't get to say you're innocent in that either. And you said you trusted me not to put anarchy over our-" he chokes on the word family, "over you. Well, I'm sorry, but you can't blame me for your blind trust either." 

"That's the thing, Technoblade!" Tommy screams and Techno can hear the tears in his voice, even with the boys back to him, "this isn't anarchy! When- when I stayed with you, I read your stupid books. I read so many of your god damn books about war and gods and government trying to understand because I thought 'Technoblade is smart and is nice to me he can't be wrong' so I read in the hopes of it changing my mind so I could side with you!" Tommy was crying, in anger or in grief Techno can't decide, "but what I read? The book you tote around like a bible? It's not this! It's not destroying everything everyone else worked for because you don't like what they've made. L'manberg was a place free from oppression! L'manberg was TRYING to be a place where you don't need to be good with a sword to be safe, so the government wasn't only protecting those who were the strongest! Technoblade YOU'RE the strongest, YOU'RE the oppressor! Did you ever think of that?" there were fistfuls of Tommy's own hair in his hands, "The only thing that was keeping you from being able to hurt everyone on this server was Tubbo's title of president. Quackity's title of vice. And now that's gone and you and Dream are the only two people on this fucked server that have control, because if we step in a direction you don't like you'll just beat us down til bedrock." Tommy's gaze falls back into the crater below them. "That's not anarchy, that's tyranny. You're a tyrant." 

Phil's gaze was piercing from across the canyon. The lanterns- Wilbur said he made them because they reminded him of their childhood in Phil's cabin- slowly losing fire and dropping into the crater like flies. 

"Tommy I'll- I'll be honest, this was partly for anarchy and partly for revenge," Tommy scoffs but doesn't interrupt so Techno continues, "but you don't get to act like you've done nothing for revenge. You nearly sided with Wilbur in blowing up L'manberg simply because Tubbo got killed. You destroyed Karl and Sapnap's Eiffel Tower because Sapnap killed Henry, which to this day he insists was an accident. You forced Eret to stay under Schlatt's regime because he betrayed you _months_ ago. You do not get to lecture me on revenge." 

The water flowing over from the remaining ponds leave a quiet white noise. The crackling of wood still burning make it smell like a campfire. If Techno closes his eyes he can pretend like he, Phil, and Tommy are back at his cabin in the tundra, sitting around a fire and telling stories and healing. 

"Why did you side with Tubbo?" Techno asks quietly.

"Why did you side with Dream?" Tommy asks just as quietly.

They say nothing to each other's questions. The silence is enough of a response as it is a lack of one.

"Techno I'm pretty sure this is all of the dogs," Phil flies over and mediates, like he always does, "let's head back home."

Techno doesn't move, studying Tommy's face. One of the lanterns drifted close enough that it illuminated the grey hue to his eyes.

"Tommy-"

"Do you know what Dream did?" Tommy asks suddenly, tying it back to Techno's previous question in a sense. 

"I- no, you never explained and I never pushed you to," Techno shares a nervous look with Phil.

"He took everything I had and blew it up, every day," Tommy paused, "well- most days. Sometimes he let me keep it. Sometimes he'd make me light it myself. If I didn't he'd threaten to kill me, sometimes even hit me or crit me with his ax until I was low enough health that I just didn't know what was going on and threw it away anyways." 

"Tommy I didn't-"

"I figured out a while ago that he's probably the reason nobody visited, nobody came to the party. Ranboo said he caught Dream burning the messages he'd leave me. Ghostbur said he told him not to send the invites and made him take a hike in the snow." Tommy's voice is shaky, it sounds like when he found Tommy sobbing in the sewers after finding that 'final control room' again, "He told me no one cared, no one loved me. I believed him. I'd wake up drowning and I tried to jump in lava and the reason Tubbo thought I was dead when we held Connor hostage was because I built a tower that I planned to jump off of and Tubbo found it." 

Phil's breath was ragged behind Techno but he couldn't bring himself to look at Phil, to tear his eyes off of Tommy's shaking shoulders as he sat over a ledge and told them about his suicide attempts. 

"Tommy the only reason I worked with Dream was because we had the same goal," Techno stutters, "I would've done this regardless."

"I don't know what stopped me from jumping then," Tommy says, ignoring Techno, "I don't know what's stopping me now."

The lantern drifted away from Tommy's face. Techno felt relieved he didn't have to see the numb agony on Tommy's face. Then he felt guilty that he never noticed that agony for the weeks Tommy stayed with him. Techno inched closer to Tommy's spot on the ledge.

"Tommy listen to me, I know we aren't exactly friends right now, we're not even allies. But that doesn't mean I want you dead." Phil's wings were preemptively stretched out, ready to swoop in and catch Tommy at a moment's notice. 

"You called me a hero then told me to die like one," Tommy spits out, "you spawned countless of withers and rained TnT, and now you have the guts to say you don't want me dead? Technoblade you are the king of mixed signals I'll give you that," the joke is the most Tommy-like thing he's done in this conversation, but the context makes Techno's stomach flip. "You know how I mentioned how I read your stupid books, when I stayed with you?" 

"Yeah, I remember," Techno gave Phil a confused look. This conversation had made so many turns it was making his head spin- he faintly wonders if Tommy has a concussion. At Tommy's reminder of the TnT and withers from mere hours ago, he wouldn't be surprised if a concussion was the least of Tommy's injuries. 

"I found one about Greek myths, I found the page about Theseus," Tommy's chuckle echos through the crater, "did you ever read the ending?" 

"I haven't gotten that far yet," Techno says honestly, "I got caught up with war. You know how it is." 

"He dies," Tommy says blankly and Techno's stomach bottoms out as Tommy stands and turns to face him. There's blood on his clothes and gashes all over his body. His eyes are grey. "He dies because some dickhead named Lycomedes, the same guy who gave him refuge in his exile, threw him off a cliff." 

Techno hates that his stupid one-off line meant to scare Tommy away from the government became a prophecy. _Could become,_ he corrects himself, because he'll be damned if he shoved Tommy off a cliff any time soon. 

"Tommy I'm not-"

"Kill me," Tommy snaps and Techno hears Phil gasp behind him, he forgot he was there, "you made this fucking crater now throw me to the bottom of it! Is that not what you want?! You must've read that stupid fucking myth because it seems like you're acting it out, Techno! Is that what this is to you!?" Tommy sobs and screams don't need the empty crater to cause an echo in Techno's skull, "Kill me!! I'm sick and tired of this shit Techno!" Tommy's eyes snap over Techno's shoulder, to Phil, "How about you, Phil? You get to finally get rid of both the kids you obviously didn't want! You killed Wilbur why don't you kill me as well." 

"Tommy stop this!" Phil pushes in front of Techno as Tommy sobs.

"Please, I'm sick of this!" Tommy tries to hunch in on himself but Phil wraps around him before he can, his wings encompassing the both of them. Techno suddenly feels like he's intruding. 

"Tommy I'm sorry," Techno can hear that Phil is crying as well, "I'm so so sorry. This was supposed to- gods I don't know. There's no excuse. You've messed up before but that's no reason to do this." 

"Please Phil-" Tommy chokes on his breath and Techno grabs Phil's shoulder, guiding him away from the ledge and taking Tommy with them. 

"Tommy I'm not going to kill you," Phil curls around Tommy again once they're away from the crater, "I shouldn't have killed Wilbur. I should've gotten here before L'manberg drove him insane. There's so much I should've done but I can't change the past and I'm so sorry for that." 

"I'm so tired," Tommy says as his sobs die down. Phil shushes him and the two stand together, wings closing them off from the world, as Techno stands by them awkwardly. They stand there so long Techno sees the sun start to peak over the land.

It's a new day. 

"Phil we should get going before people show up," Techno urges, hating to pull Phil away from Tommy at such a moment but worried about what vengeful L'manbergians would do if they spotted the anarchists at the vigil for their city. 

"But Tommy-" Phil starts but is cut off by Tommy pulling away, rubbing his eyes.

"Just go, Phil," he says quietly, "it's fine. I'm- I'm glad we talked." He stares at Phil, then at Techno. Neither can say what emotion crosses his face. "I don't forgive you, I never will," Phil flinches slightly, Techno only allows more guilt to pool in his stomach to digest later when he's alone, "but I'm glad we talked." 

"Maybe with L'manberg..." gone? the word feels too impersonal. Techno didn't even live in the nation but it had earned his respect. "With L'manberg dead we can all move on. Not now, but maybe in the future." 

"Maybe," Tommy says and the three of them watch the sunrise from L'manberg's corpse. They watch as birds search for their home trees and find nothing. They watch as pages of history float in the pools below, inked smeared beyond recognition. They watch as history is lost and blood finally dries and bridges burn and homes are never found again by birds and foxes and fish and people. They watch as the obsidian grid leaves more of an eyesore on the landscape than any of Tommy's lovingly made cobblestone builds ever left. They watch as the city that Wilbur built then destroyed then built again crumbles one final time. They watch as the sun finally breaches the horizon and L'manberg takes it's final breath, hits it's final note, and they listen as the symphony finally finishes. Brothers and a father and the ends of kinship. Techno and Phil leave for their cabin and Tommy leaves for new beginnings.

"Goodbye, Theseus," Techno says one final time.

"Bye, Lycomedes." 

**Author's Note:**

> SO that stream...wow. I've seen a lot of really really interesting critics on both the characters' actions and the writing of the "finale" (I put that in quotes because it's not really a finale to the server, just to L'Manberg) and it's what inspired me to write this, along with the fact that I finally read the myth of Theseus and found out one of the ways he dies was being killed by the guy who helped him.  
> Personally I fall in the category of both Tommy and Techno have done bad things, but Tommy is a little more excusable. Neither of them wrong and neither of them right, but Tommy by far is the more hurt of the two. I'm a massive SBI fan and loved c!Techno and c!Tommy's dynamic and I really wish they got to actually talk to each other and have a meaningful ending. Not happy, just meaningful. Also, I feel like the mental state that c!Tommy was left in wasn't addressed super well so I wanted to address it here. I went back and skimmed through some streams and realized c!Tommy never really told c!Techno what c!Dream did, so it makes sense that c!Techno would work with c!Dream thinking he was a dick but not knowing he was a straight-up abuser. So this is all (hopefully) conveyed in this fic.  
> This was more of a cathartic vent-ish character study for me, now I'm gonna go back to reading/writing family dynamic SBI AUs to heal lmao. Thanks for reading! 
> 
> (Also for anyone who's invested in my exiled!Tommy and Techno fic I am SO sorry I'm working on the update for that rn, I've just been super distracted, and then with recent streams, it's SUCH a canon divergence that I'm trying to get back into the mental writing space to work with those characters again lmao. Thanks for being patient!)


End file.
